The independent African strategy and management consulting firm FTHM Consulting announces the official opening of its office in Abidjan. With 30 years of experience and over 1,100 completed missions, the group aims to strengthen its presence in West Africa and promote African-origin consulting expertise that is structured and certified to international standards.
FTHM Consulting takes a new step in its continental development with the official opening of its office in Côte d’Ivoire. The announcement was made on February 11 in Abidjan by its founding partner, Thierry Rajaona, during a press conference presenting the group’s expansion strategy in Africa.
Founded in 1994 in Antananarivo, FTHM (Finance, Technology, Human Resources, and Management) positioned itself from the outset as a generalist consulting firm covering all economic dimensions: strategy, organization, human resources, financial engineering, information systems, and outsourcing.
“When I returned to Madagascar in 1993, I noticed that the consulting sector was deeply empty. The major firms present in Africa were mainly of foreign origin. There was no structured African actor in this segment. This gap needed to be filled,” explains Thierry Rajaona, who is also the vice president of the Francophone African Employers’ Association.
An African positioning assumed
In thirty years of activity, FTHM Consulting claims to have completed over 1,100 missions in more than 35 countries, mainly in Africa, for businesses (B2B) and public institutions (B2G). The firm now relies on nearly 100 permanent consultants and a network of over 150 partner firms and more than 1,000 experts available according to sectoral needs.
Certified ISO 9001 since 2007 – a first for an African consulting firm – FTHM emphasizes a positioning based on process quality and independence of action. “Our difference is based on three pillars: a comprehensive 360-degree approach, internationally recognized quality certification, and an assumed pan-African vocation,” emphasizes Rajaona.
The firm is also a member of the global network MGI Worldwide, which brings together independent audit, consulting, and expertise firms, where it ranks in the top 20 in size and activity.
Abidjan, a strategic West African hub
The Ivorian establishment is part of a structured regional strategy. After opening offices in Mauritius, the Comoros, and Libreville for Central Africa, FTHM positions Abidjan as a gateway to West Africa.
“Abidjan is now emerging as the private sector hub in West Africa. It was natural for our regional office to be established there,” says the founder. The firm has already worked in several countries in the sub-region – Senegal, Cape Verde, Guinea, Niger – and among its references in Côte d’Ivoire is the Nouvelle Pharmacie de Côte d’Ivoire.
The Abidjan office, operational for several months, is expected to gradually integrate local permanent consultants to strengthen client proximity and on-the-ground intervention capacity.
Developing African B2B
Historically active in B2G missions through international tenders involving its global experts, FTHM now aims to accelerate its development in the African B2B segment. This orientation requires an increased physical presence in the continent’s key markets.
In this dynamic, the firm also announces the launch of the RACE – African Network of Excellence Cabinets – a platform for cooperation between African firms aimed at pooling expertise and enhancing the visibility of the continent’s consulting offerings. “African expertise exists, but it is not sufficiently valued among our decision-makers. The RACE will also have a role in advocating for and structuring this offering,” specifies Rajaona.
A continental vision
Former leader of the Bolloré group in the tobacco sector and former president of the Malagasy Employers’ Association, Thierry Rajaona places this expansion within a broader macroeconomic context: “Africa is the future of the world. The real question is whether we will seize this opportunity with our own skills and institutions.”
With its establishment in Abidjan, FTHM Consulting thus reinforces its strategy: to build an independent pan-African consulting player capable of operating to international standards while relying on a deep understanding of local realities.
